The concept of failed state denotes countries where institutions underpinning the legal and political order have fallen apart, meaning that government organizations do not have the capacity to enforce laws, guarantee rights, and provide core public goods, such as security and basic infrastructure. The concept gained prominence as a national security and international development narrative in the 1

Over the years, various technologies have been utilized for Natural Organic Matter (NOM) removal with varying degrees of success. Conventional treatment methods comprising of coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, or filtration are widely used to remove NOM. An alternative to these conventional methods is to use spiral wound membranes. These membranes tend to remove too much hardness whilst bei

A 76-year-old man with a history of frequent syncope in youth and in the last 5 years was referred for a head-up tilt test. During the head-up tilt test, he developed a classical vasovagal reflex syncope. On immediate return to the supine position, the patient regained consciousness. Shortly afterward, the heart rate slowed distinctly and the patient became unresponsive with undetectable blood pre

Assessment of respiratory tract deposition of nanoparticles is a key link to understanding their health impacts. An instrument was developed to measure respiratory tract deposition of nanoparticles in a single breath. Monodisperse nanoparticles are generated, inhaled and sampled from a determined volumetric lung depth after a controlled residence time in the lung. The instrument was characterized

Background: Hemodynamic instability responsive to fluid resuscitation is common after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), also in the absence of systemic hemorrhage. The present study tests if an isolated severe TBI induces a decrease in plasma volume (PV). Methods: The study was performed in three groups of anesthetized and tracheostomized male cats (n = 21). In one group (n = 8), the cats were prepa

Summary: Osteoporotic fractures may pose a challenge for skeletal regeneration. This study investigates if pharmaceutical interventions such as bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) alone or in combination with Zoledronate have equivalent efficacy in osteoporotic bone? Our findings suggest they do and that an osteoporotic bone environment may increase sensitivity to BMP-7. Introduction: Osteoporosi

Axonal white matter injury is believed to be a major determinant of adverse outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hypothesized that measurement of neurofilament light protein (NF-L), a protein found in long white-matter axons, in blood samples, may serve as a suitable biomarker for neuronal damage in TBI patients. To test our hypotheses, we designed a study in two parts: i) we develo

Background: There are several indications that the composition of the tumor stroma can contribute to the malignancy of a tumor. Here we utilized expression data sets to identify metagenes that may serve as surrogate marker for the extent of matrix production and vascularization of a tumor and to characterize prognostic molecular components of the stroma. Methods: TCGA data sets from six cancer for

The evolution and maintenance of conspicuous phenotypic polymorphisms has challenged evolutionary ecologists for centuries. Polymorphisms in pleiotropic cascades or genetic linkage may lead to correlations of life history traits such as immunity, parasite infection levels, pigmentation and lifetime reproductive success. The common buzzard Buteo buteo is a bird of prey occurring in several plumage

The interaction of the ionic liquid [C4C1Im][BF4] with anatase TiO2, a model photoanode material, has been studied using a combination of synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The system is of interest as a model for fundamental electrolyte–electrode and dye-sensitized solar cells. The initial interaction involves degradation o

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe experiences of attitudes in the society of Sierra Leone from the perspective of individuals with poliomyelitis and people with amputations using orthotic or prosthetic devices. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted using open-ended questions. Twelve participants with amputations or polio were included. Content analysis was applied to the data.

This study investigates how, and to what extent, citizens use Twitter as a platform for political mobilization in an electoral context. Conceptualizing political participation as a process, we develop a typology of political participation designed to isolate mobilizing calls for action from the rest of the political discussion online. Based on Twitter data collected one week prior to the 2015 Brit

Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess the short- and long-term complication rates after video-assisted gastrostomy (VAG), the effects of age and gender on long-term complications and the effect of duration of gastrostomy tube retention on the need for gastroraphy when the gastrostomy device was removed. Methods: This was a retrospective study of children undergoing VAG at a single institu

The role of the skin microbiota in human health is poorly understood. Here, we identified and characterized a novel antioxidant enzyme produced by the skin microbiota, designated RoxP for radical oxygenase of Propionibacterium acnes. RoxP is uniquely produced by the predominant skin bacterium P. acnes, with no homologs in other bacteria; it is highly expressed and strongly secreted into culture su

Introduction: Identifying factors that influence individuals' smoking behavior remains a huge public health concern. This study aimed to investigate changes in individuals' cigarette smoking while considering well-known smoking determinants, including social capital, its presence being postulated to reduce smoking. Methods: From British Household Panel Survey data, two baseline smoking cohorts wer